Open Wounds
by Angel Takashiro
Summary: Anita's father, Ivan, is a vampire. He switched schools for Anita, after an attack from a hunter. Dirk, the vampire hunter, cannot help but notice her and what are those bandages doing around her neck? Blood, gory, and a few other things…rated M in case.
1. First Impressions

Open Wounds

Chapter 1: First impressions

Author: This is a special request from kt the emo. Sorry it took me a while, but I hope you enjoy this!

Summary: Anita's father, Ivan, is a vampire. He switched schools for Anita, hoping to gain more snacks. Dirk, the vampire hunter, cannot help but notice her and what are those bandages doing around her neck? Blood, gory, and a few other things…rated M in case.

"Father? Are we really going to a new town again?" Anita wondered, her blonde hair flowing down. She put on her pink hat and wrapped white bandages around her neck. One side of her neck had been bleeding after her father fed on her, and she always wore the bandages to make the puncture marks seem invisible.

"Yes. It should be up ahead." He made a sharp right turn, Anita seeming unfazed. Ivan let himself to be off as a gentleman, but Anita knew better: he was a vampire. When Anita was small, she had abandoned the orphanage and run into him.

**Flashback:**

Anita ran, hearing the voices of men after her. She had run into an alley, bumping into someone. He wore a cape, because it was raining and he looked at her. Her trembling body, soaked with rain and tears, she heard the men's voices getting louder.

"Please, don't let them take me back…" Anita clung onto his cloak so tightly and moved closer to him. "I don't like it there…they're mean…"

"Shhh…it's alright. A beautiful girl like you shouldn't be crying." Ivan smiled, scooping her up with one hand and lifting her up. Her legs were on the sides of his chest, and she clung onto his shoulder. The footsteps got closer, but they seemed to halt at the men looking at Ivan.

"What are you men doing following my daughter around?" Ivan sneered, watching them back up.

"She's not your daughter, she's a runaway! We're taking her back to the orphanage."

"Take me to this orphanage. I will sign every paper, pay every fee, anything to make this girl my daughter. And don't even think about taking her away from me for a second." Ivan said calmly, yet with a threatening demeanor.

**Flashback end:**

Anita was so happy at that moment in time. She was 6. Ivan became her legal guardian, with every paper filled out. It was when she turned 13 that her father first drank her blood. She felt weak after every drink, but she became used to it. To hide the marks, she wore white, long bandages and wraps around her neck. Her father didn't seem to mind, as long as she wasn't bullied at school for the bandages. She wasn't, but the questions from teachers became more and more suspicious, especially when Anita stayed quiet every day after the feeding began. To avoid the questions, he decided a new school would be best, as well as maybe some friends for Anita so she could talk more. She was 16: She hated starting school mid-year, but she didn't mind. She felt the car stop, at a small, white-colored house. It was small and quaint, as Anita come to find. She looked around, but then her father took her hand.

"Now, Anita, I'm going to take you to school. Here's your lunch: I made it last night." He handed her a small boxed lunch. Anita accepted it gratefully. She grabbed her rucksack, as well as a binder with a few notes and some writing utensils. She walked to the school, wearing their required uniform; it was a black top, with 5 buttons from the collar down to the chest. It went with a dark red plaid skirt, which she wore white stocking with. She wore black flat shoes, letting her everything look made for her. She decided to not wear the hair, and instead let her blonde hair down. It was short and unkempt, but she liked it that way. She looked at her dad, giving him a hug before leaving.

"Thank you, dad. I'm off to school." She began to walk away, turning a few streets until she reached the school. It was lucky for her, that her school was only 10 minutes away. She walked onto the campus reaching several stares. She was 5 minutes early, as classes start at 8 am. She continued to walk towards the office, receiving more stares.

"Who's she?" One girl whispered.

"No idea. But she's wearing our uniform…It's weird." Another girl whispered back. Anita looked at the two girls who were whispering and turned, her body facing them. They immediately froze; they began to think she was going to hurt them. Anita simply looked at them, bowed, and then looked at them more closely.

"I'm Anita. Nice to meet you." She waved a small smile, then left the girls alone, walked away to the office. Dirk watched the whole thing unfold, noticing her expression going blank after Anita left the girls. Anita walked into the office, her presence new to them.

"Hello dear. You must be the new student."

"Yes…"

"Anita, right?" Anita nodded her head. "Here's your schedule." She handed Anita a sheet of paper, which had a classroom number on it and directions on how to get there. "Have a good first day!" She smiled, giving Anita a smile. Anita smiled back, leaving the office and bumping into Dirk. Her piece of paper dropped, Anita being forced back by the collision.

"Sorry…" Anita murmured, looking for the paper she dropped.

"You must be the new girl." Dirk looked at the piece of paper. "It looks like you're in the same class as me." Dirk grinned a little, not know Anita was glaring at him.

"Will you show me how to get there?"

"Sure, but for a price. How about a name?"

"Anita…Anita Mesmerald." She stood upright, looking at him. He had short, brown hair. He wore a purple hat and the same uniform her did, except he wore white pants with a red cross on the side. Anita looked at it, never seeing those kind of pants before.

"Oh, my pants? They're special. I'm a special kind of guy." He grinned, trying to force her to talk more.

"Classroom. Now." The warning bell rang, as people started to head to classrooms.

"Alright, I'll take you." He walked up some stairs with her, giving glances at her neck. _White wraps? Why would she have those on her neck? _She caught him staring, and glared at him. He turned away, walking into the classroom. He opened the door, as Freya caught Dirk in a chokehold.

"Freya! Let go!" Dirk squirmed, but Freya refused.

"Oh come on, Dirk! You're actually on time for once! It's a miracle!" She looked at Anita, who anxiously walked into the classroom. "Hey Dirk, who's this?"

"New girl." He gasped, Freya releasing him from the hold.

"Hi! I'm Freya!" She got really close to Anita, who flinched instinctively and backed up. "Sorry, did I scare you? I'm just nice to see someone new."

"And I'm Daisy!" A blonde came up as well, next to Freya. She had blonde curls around her and a pink ribbon as her headband. Anita looked at the two girls, a bit of nervousness getting in her stomach.

"Alright! Everyone, settle down." The teacher, Lloyd walked in. Anita went up to him, and he knew she was the new student. "We have a new student with us. Please, introduce yourself."

"I'm…Anita. Anita…Mesmerald. It's nice to be here." Anita bowed, murmurs coming from students.

"Since I'm bored, for five minutes, you can ask any questions you want of Miss Anita."

"What was your other school like?" One girl asked

"It was…public, not private like this one."

"Who's in your family?" Freya asked.

"Just me…and my father, Ivan."

"What's your favorite color?"

"…Pink."

"Mine too!" Daisy replied happily.

"So, why do you have those bandages around your neck? Are there hickeys hidden under there?" Dirk laughed, waiting for her response.

"…No. There is…an ugly scar on my neck from an…accident. Father told me to put wraps around it to protect it from the sun…So I do." Anita sighed, not wanting to have explained that.

"I have a perfect white ribbon for that scar!" Daisy held it up, it was long and white. She pushed it into Anita's hands, who looked at her rather confused.

"…Thank you." She looked at the white ribbon, caressing it's softness in her hands. She was so busy, she didn't notice the blood leaking through her wraps.

"Um…Teacher, Anita's bleeding." When Anita heard this, she immediately raised her hand to her neck. _Shit! It wasn't supposed to bleed!_ Anita slowed back away, feeling a bit faint and grabbed onto the teacher's desk. Her breath became hitched. _No! Not here! Not now!_ She stumbled out of the classroom, trying to make it to the office. Two steps out of the classroom, though, and she collapsed on the floor.

"Dirk, I nominate you to take her to the nurse's office. Now." Lloyd demanded, Dirk getting right on it. Instead of going to the nurse's, he carried Anita to the rooftop of the school. He took off her bandages, to find two puncture marks bleeding out.

"Damnit! I hoped my suspicions were wrong, but…damnit!" He wiped away the blood using a gauze he kept with him; since he was a hunter, wounds were more common among his group. He put the gauze over the wound, making sure it would stay in place. He staunched the wound until the blood stopped, rewrapping it with the new white ribbon she had received from Daisy. He made sure it covered the whole thing, before carrying her bridal style to the office.

_This girl is being feed on…multiple times by a vampire. She could have had these marks for years…I knew something wasn't right. I guess I'll have to find him and kill him._ Dirk sighed, another vampire he'd have to hunt. He dropped off Anita to the nurse's office, getting concerned looks from the office people. He reassured them that he had fixed the problem, and that she just need some rest. They were suspicious of him, but they put her on the bed in the nurse's office and let her sleep. He went outside, pulling out his cell phone, calling a number on speed dial.

"Hello?"

"We've got another one to hunt down, Amir."


	2. Warning

Open Wounds

Chapter 2: Warning

Anita woke up, her head immediately filled with a terrible headache. She felt light-headed and her head was on something soft. She blinked her eyes a bit, realizing she was covered by a white blanket on a bed. Her hand gripped the blanket, as she realized how soft the blanket was. Her hands caressed the fabric, as though mesmerized by the softness. She adjusted her head a bit on the pillow, until the pillow brushed against her wound. She moaned softly in pain, but instantly touched the ribbon that now covered her neck. _I wasn't wearing a white ribbon…someone else must have changed it. But who? _Fear struck her heart; _what if they saw the marks? Would they tell on her? Would they take her to the Hunters? Did they call her father because she had fainted? What time was it?_ She looked at her silver watch, which read 10 am. _She was…asleep for 2 hours?_ She slowly took the covers off the bed and carefully got to her feet. She slipped her stockings back under her shoes, as she walked back to the classroom.

"Ah, you're awake, dear. How do you feel?" The nurse started, noticing Anita trying to leave the office.

"Better. Can I have a pass to go back to class?" Anita still brushed her hand against the ribbon, wondering who had redone her wounds. "Umm…did anyone drop me off from class?"

"Ah, yes. A boy did, I remember. He wouldn't give us his name, though, I'm pretty sure he's in your class."

"Thank you, miss..." Anita received the slip from the woman, taking note of her long, wavy orange hair.

"Sherry's my name. I'm the nurse's assistant, but I also help around the office sometimes. Please, take care of yourself, Miss Mesmerald." With that, Anita slowly stepped out of the office and walked back towards her classroom. When she finally came to the room, she opened the door and silence filled the room. Everyone stared at her, as if she had hypnotized all of them with her footsteps. There was a very light glare, however, that she was receiving from Dirk. Freya and Daisy were staring at her with concern for her health: it was obvious that they were worrying about her deeply.

"Sorry for the delay, Mr. Lloyd. I was out longer than I expected." Anita began looking down, trying to avoid every glare, including her teacher's with concern.

"It's alright, Anita. I contacted your father, and he said that you have a…blood thinning illness that causes you to bleed uncontrollably and without warning. He did say not to worry, that if you got a few hours of sleep, you would be back."

"Well…I'm back." Anita let a small smile come off her face, somehow hearing her father take care of things made her a bit happy inside.

"You look better than you came in, as well. You feel up to class?"

"Yes, and I'm sorry for the interruption. Please, continue your lesson." She looked back at her classmates, their stares now filled with curiosity. She noticed her seat was at the end of the classroom, right next to the window. _Perfect, just the kind of seat for me._ She walked to the seat, only when she sat down did they stop staring. She was behind a white-haired boy with Dirk to her right. The white-haired boy turned around and Anita found herself gazing at his teal eyes.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Amir. I guess we'll be talking a lot." He took his hand for her to shake it, but she batted his hand away.

"Nice to meet you, Amir; unfortunately, I don't shake hands with anyone." He glared at her in confusion, as Dirk watched the whole things played out. "And Dirk, stop staring at me; it's not polite, unless you have something to say to me, stop being impolite, **Hickey-san**." Dirk's face was filled with red, and Amir smirked as the words were emphasized.

"ANITA…" Dirk's voice came out in a growl, as he suddenly noticed Anita wasn't there. She had gone up to the board, now doing a problem with math. Dirk looked at Amir, who continued to scoff at his new nickname.

"You sure she's the one we're after?" Amir whispered.

"She's the victim; if we follow her, there's a chance we might stop the vampire."

"Shouldn't we get back up? What if it's a strong vampire?"

"We'll have to see, but…I will not tolerate for her to get hurt anymore…Amir, it looks like they've been feeding on her for years."

"Alright…when were you thinking?"

"Today…just follow her home today, and we should find the vampire." Dirk stopped his chat when he saw Anita had finished the problem and was heading back. Anita stared at Amir for a while before the words escaped her lips.

"What are you really doing in school, **Hunter-san**?" Anita's whispers made a grin only Amir could see. It sent a few shivers down his spine, as she walked past him and sat in her seat. "You've been absent for school so many times, it only makes me wonder why you decided to come to school today. So, it is someone you're looking for, **Hunter-san**? Ne, won't you tell me?" Her eyes bore through the back of his head, Dirk sensing some danger. He chucked a paper ball at Anita, hitting her on the neck by accident. Bad idea: her attention was now focused on him, the same glare. "Do you need something, **Hickey-san**?"

"Ease up on Amir a bit, k, Anita? It's not his fault he's the leader's son. He has to do a lot of business, so leave him alone."

"Fine, Hickey-san. But you're not off the hook, either."

"I don't mind. Be mad at me all you want, Anita, but I did carry you to the nurse's office. You should at least thank me for doing that one favor for you, geez."

"So…it was you." Her eyes looked away, her voice drifted off. The three were in complete silence for the rest of class, until the lunch bell rang. When the bell rang, Anita immediately took her lunch and walked towards Freya and Daisy, who all seemed to start a chat quickly and leave. Amir and Dirk went to the rooftop, like they usually did when it was lunch time. Dirk took out his cell phone, showing the picture of Anita's neck to Amir.

"These…I've never seen so many before on one person's neck." Amir scrolled the pictures again. "You have to let me have these pictures. I'm sure father will start a search for all the vampires left in this city."

"Yeah, but remember, if we don't help her soon, these marks will be on her grave."

"There's only one thing that doesn't make sense, Dirk."

"What is it, Amir?"

"If she knew they were monsters, which I'm sure she knows by now, why couldn't she kill them? Why wouldn't they kill her?"

"Well, someone could be using her as an infinite blood source…by keeping her alive, she probably fears everyone and everything. It must be a living hell for her."

"But Dirk, why would they send her to school, where everyone can find out, especially hunters?"

"My guess is that she went missing and the captors decided to make a deal: she could go to school if she became his supply tank."

"Vampires aren't that nice, Dirk; one of them killed my mother, and I still have yet to forgive the bastards for drinking her blood, leaving me with fear in my heart and a death mother."

"I'm just saying, we cannot rule out that possibility."

"Meh, I guess you're right, Dirk. By the way, why did she call you Hickey-san?"

"Because I asked why she had those ribbons around her neck, and I asked if she was hiding hickeys under there."

"Wow…really? You're not that harsh to people on their first day; what did she do to piss you off so early in the morning?"

"…I was trying to get her to talk more. Her constant stoic expression pisses me off and I want her to get mad, or show some emotion other than that dull stare she has."

"So…you just want the new girl's attention and to date her?"

"Yeah…pretty much." Dirk blushed a bit, his face becoming a bit flushed. "I want to save her from despair. I want to save everyone from vampires…and I think I can at least do something about her vampire, so I'm not going to give up."

"Well, being able to drink so long from one person and not letting a single word out into the vampire world or our intellects means it must either be a very young vampire who doesn't know or obey by the rules. It could also be one of the eldest vampires who knows how to keep a secret and is powerful politically to keep everything hush-hush." Amir sighed. "This is going to be one heck of a mission."

"How long of lunch do we have?" Dirk looked around for a clock, as Amir pulled out his watch.

"It's 12:45. We have about 15 minutes before heading back to class."

"Alright, I'm going to talk with that girl again, Amir. I have to see if she's good at hiding things or not." Dirk walked off the roof, headed back to the classroom. He saw Anita talking to the two girls, happily in conversation; that was, until her eyes caught sight of him. Her expression went cold, as her friends took notice of the change.

"Daisy, Freya, I have something to take care of. I'll be back on time for class, don't worry." Anita got up out of her seat, catching the surprised expressions of girls. She gave them a small smile to reassure them, and Dirk led her to the music room. He locked the door, Anita giving him a weary glance back. "What do you need to talk about?"

"How did you know I wanted to talk?"

"Your face tipped me off. That, and Hickey-san wouldn't just walk up to me unless he had something to talk about. So, spill the beans."

"I saw those marks on your neck: those are repeated vampire bites. I want to exterminate the vampire."

"Hunter, huh? I see…so that's why you find me interesting. Anyway, don't tell anyone else about it, ok? I understand you've already told your cute hunter friend, but it's not something I want to be spread around."

"Then do something for me that convinces me to play the silent game. What can you offer me?"

"I can make lunch for you for a month."

"Let's do that, and you have to be my personal maid during that month."

"…Blackmail."

"You either do it or I'll expose everything; I have pictures too."

"Ok, whatever. Stop making it such a big deal, ok?" Anita walked away, her anger shining through the crevices of her smirk. "By the way, you and your hunter buddy better not follow me home; it's rude to stalk a girl on her first day of school, don't you agree, **Hickey-san**?" placing emphasis on his name, as she continued to walk away. Dirk heard the bell for class and began to walk towards the classroom, noticing Amir wasn't there. _Probably had to talk to his father on something…_Class soon began again and Dirk took his seat. He was uneasy during the whole class and after class. He started to walk home, only to find that Anita walked the same way home. Dirk wanted to call out to her, but his phone rang and he answered it.

"Hello?"

"Dirk, it's Amir. You need to investigate Anita's house."

"Alright, but why alone?"

"We believe that her father may be the vampire. When you told me her last name yesterday, I got our investigators to check out that name. It belongs to Ivan, a captain in the vampire world, and he is one of the strongest there is. Be extremely careful, and try to get her away from him as much as possible."

"Alright, will do." Dirk ended the call and followed Anita until she reached a white house. She started to put the key in the doorknob, but she stopped.

"You did not take my warning, **Hickey-san**." Anita turned around, her purple eyes looking at Dirk's green.

"That glare and threat? It wasn't much of a warning."

"Dirk…I will warn you now, because you shouldn't be here. You are a hunter; therefore, once you step into my house, I cannot guarantee you will come out unharmed. There is a reason why I told you guys to back off."

"Anita, I don't care if I barely know you at all, but if you're being hurt by a vampire, I have to act. I will not sit in silence while one of my classmates gets attacked relentlessly by those blood-sucking creatures! I won't let it happen!" Anita tilted her head slightly, her curiosity now ignited.

"It's your grave, if you really wish it. But remember, you did ignore my warning, and I will only stop anything if I feel it is necessary. Even so…will you take the chance and face possible death?"

"Yes."

"Then, you may come in." Anita twisted the doorknob, already gone inside her murky household. She left the door open, and with nothing but darkness before him, Dirk went inside.


	3. Tension in the Air

Open Wounds

Chapter 3: Tension in the Air

Dirk enters the house slowly and cautiously, taking in the darkness of his surroundings. He watched Anita take off her shoes and he mimicked her motions. Anita strolled towards the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of water from the refrigerator. She chucked the water bottle at Dirk who caught it swiftly with ease.

"Thanks." He muttered out and began to unscrew the water bottle, taking sips of his water.

"Put your backpack on the ground. You don't need to carry it around, you know." Anita sneered at Dirk and she gently placed her backpack to the side of the fridge. Dirk reluctantly set his backpack down next to Anita's. Anita grabbed a water bottle for herself and sat at the dining room table. The table was oak of some kind, and she got a coaster to set her water bottle down on. Setting the bottle down, she waited patiently as food steps for the other room alerted her or her father's presence. "Hey, dad." Dirk drew his attention to the vampire, who was now next to Anita.

"Hello, Anita. How was your first day of school?" Ivan smiled and put his hand through his daughter's hair. She glared at him maliciously to show her annoyance.

"My school day was good. Seems like a good school; I'd like to stay here if that's possible." She looked at Dirk at their eyes were captured in a stare. Ivan looked in Dirk's direction and smiled.

"Ah, so you brought a friend home. And it's a guy! Does that mean that my Anita is growing up?" Ivan hugged his daughter just to get her flustered.

"Dad, stop! Don't tease me!" She punched him, which he dodged. He stepped away from Anita anyway and Anita stood up. "Dad, he's just a classmate. He thought it would be very courteous if he walked me home. Isn't that right, Dirk?" Anita gave Dirk a wink and Dirk froze in that moment.

"Err…Uhhh…" Dirk was at a loss of words and Anita grinned a bit to deem herself victorious in embarrassing Dirk.

"Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself." Ivan took steps towards Dirk and held out his hand towards Dirk. "My name is Ivan Mesmerald. I am Anita's father." Dirk grabbed the hand firmly, shaking it.

"I'm Dirk Everclear. I'm one of Anita's classmates."

"Pleasure to meet you." Both men moved their hands away. Ivan looked up and down Dirk's body, as thought to investigate him like a detective to his witness. "So, what brings you to our humble abode?"

"Well…I was really concerned about Anita today. She fainted during the beginning of class and she had blood seeping down from her neck. The teacher asked me to carry her to the nurse's office." Ivan gave Dirk a sideways glance.

"But you didn't take her immediately, did you? In fact…" He revealed a light sneer. "You went to the roof first, didn't you? Rather than giving her proper medical help, you took her to the roof and took pictures of her neck, didn't you?" Dirk stood firm and didn't say anything. "Security cameras at that private school aren't excluded to the faculty, you know. If requested, a parent is allowed to view the video camera footage." Ivan took a step closer to Dirk, and smile across his face. "So, did you find what you were looking for?"

"What?" Dirk looked at him.

"I'm right here. If you have something to say to me, you better say it now." Ivan stood up tall and Anita watched curiously. Dirk went to his backpack and pulled out a silver gun. There were black flames engraved into the gun, with the name of the gun in cursive on the side. It read as Zeus and Dirk held the gun to Ivan's head, only a few feet away from Ivan's forehead.

"I'm a vampire hunter; I've come to save Anita and kill you." Dirk clicked the safety off the gun and placed his pointer finger on the trigger.

"Kill me? With a silver bullet?" Ivan scoffed, a small chuckle escaping his lips. "Go ahead, pull the trigger. I dare you." Dirk began ticked off at that last statement.

"Die!" He pulled the trigger and everything that happened was a blur. Anita pushed her dad out of the way, but as she did so, the bullet scraped her cheek and a small scratch began to bleed. The blood dropped down from her upper cheek bone to the bottom of her chin. The bullet landed into the kitchen table, embedding itself in the center of the wood. Anita flinched a bit in pain, but stared at Dirk and her father.

"Dirk, you cannot win against my father. That and I will not allow you to kill him." Anita got a napkin and gently wipes the dripping blood off of her face.

"Anita, you just got hurt for your father! He's the reason that you're in pain!"

"That doesn't matter! I need him to stay alive! He's…He's taken care of me for many years. He's treated me nice, and I haven't been greedy in asking for anything. He leaves me alone when I want him to, but he doesn't hurt anyone else before he only drinks blood from me. I will not let my father hurt anyone else…That's why…" She looked down and flinched, trying to think of another word to say. "That's why…he can only drink my blood. That's why it can only be him who hurts me…Because no one else should get hurt for my father's unconditional state of being."

"But, Anita…" Dirk put his gun to his side and got closer to Anita. "You cannot let him control your life…"

"Dirk, please don't say anymore about the subject." She began to walk towards her bedroom. Dirk followed her close behind, but Ivan held Dirk in a sleeper's hold.

"Let go of me, stupid vampire!" Ivan refused and pressed his arm harder against his neck. Dirk began to lose air, and he tried to reach for his gun. Blacking out, Dirk passed out and Ivan carried the man piggy-back style. He opened Anita's door and placed Dirk in her closet.

"Dad, what did you do to Dirk?" Anita eyed him cautiously.

"Just put him to sleep. He'll wake up in an hour. It's nothing serious. But, you'll need this." He took the silver gun and threw it at Anita. Anita caught it, the stared at it.

"What will I need this for?"

"I heard from some vampires today that invitations are being sent out for the Annual Vampire Ball. If they happen to get close to you, you can use this for protection."

"…I'm going to kill all vampires…no matter where they are…" Anita trembled and held the gun close to her chest. Ivan sighed.

"Just try to go to sleep, Anita. Hopefully, they won't find you. But, if they do, just scare them off with the gun." He patted her hair, the blond mane becoming frazzled.

"Thanks, dad." Anita went under the covers of her bed with the gun still in her hand. A doorbell ring startled her as she tried to go to sleep. She heard voices outside the doors. They were murmurs to her, but they began to get louder and she could detect footsteps. There were outside her door.

"Gentlemen, what are you doing?" Ivan protested. "There is nothing within this room."

"Nothing but blood, Ivan. Unless you spilled a blood packet, there shouldn't be the faint smell of blood coming from this room." The voice was somewhat deep, but Anita couldn't recognize the owner of the voice.

"Also, there is a scent of…human. A girl, to be exact." The other voice was deep and Anita once again could not recognize the owner. She closed her eyes as the door slammed opened. "Ah, there is a girl in here. This much be the daughter that we've heard so much about." The footsteps were dangerously close to her, and Anita tried to calm down. _Don__'__t __kill __them__…__don__'__t __let__ them __know __you__'__re__ scared__…__don__'__t __let __them __touch __you__…_Anita felt a hand hovering over her head and without another word, she reached out to the hand and hand the gun in the center of the palm. Wide blue eyes looked at her as she opened her purple eyes. The man who tried to touch her had blond hair and blue hair. He was dressed in a white tuxedo and he simply smiled at the girl. The other man had silver hair with bangs just above his eyes. He was wearing a black tuxedo and his hair stopped at his shoulders. He glared at Anita and she glared back at him. The blond moved his hand away from the gun, the center of his palm slightly burned from the contact. "Good evening, madam."

"It's 3pm. The moon's not out yet." Will had smiled with content.

"So, it is, my lady." Will stood next to Vaughn, Ivan looking at Anita worriedly.

"You and your daughter are invited to the Vampire Ball. Both of you must come. The Lord knows about your absences for the past ten years of these parties. He requests that you and whomever you where hiding to attend the ball. He also told us to investigate." Vaughn looked at Anita, who flinched at his look. "I seems like she's more that proper to attend the ball."

"I have a name, you know." Anita got out of the bed, the cut on her cheek revealing itself. "I may as well tell you my name, since you are writing it on invitation and my dad would be forced to tell you my name, too."

"Name, please." Will had taken out a notebook and a pen.

"Anita. Anita Augustana Mesmerald." Will wrote down the name, smiling somewhat in content. Ivan looked over at Anita and noticed her small shaking. He walked over to her, putting his hand on her shoulder. He whispered to her in her ear.

"Anita, please calm down, sweetie. They're going to leave soon." She still shook, but it was less noticeable than before. She looked down, not catching the glances from the other vampires.

"Thank you for your time, Ivan. We will be anxious to see you both at the ball." Will and Vaughn began their leave, but Vaughn looked over at Anita.

"We will hunt you down, human, if you even attempt to overthrow us." He pointed at Anita and watched her face show her expressions. "No amount of hunters will be able to save you from us." He grinned and both of them made their leave. After they shut the door, Anita fell to her knees and began to cry. Dirk opened the closet door and watched as Anita's composure crumbled into pieces.

"NO! I don't want to! I hate vampires! Why cannot they leave me alone? WHY!" She screamed and took the gun to start shooting at her father. "I will not attend a ball full of vampires! You cannot make me!" Her father dodged the bullets and Dirk jumped on her, knocking her down to the ground and getting the gun out of her grasps. "Let go of me, Dirk!"

"Anita, get a hold of yourself! No one's going to hurt you!" Dirk held her close despite her struggling. He kicked the gun away, and Ivan picked it up. "Anita, listen to me!"

"No! Let go of me, Dirk! You don't know what's it's like! You don't know what it's like…to feel like you have eyes watching your every move! Eyes that look like they'll kill you! You cannot understand! No one can understand…" Her voice began to crack under the tears.

"I don't, but that doesn't mean I will leave you alone! I won't let anyone suffer alone! Do you understand?" Dirk kept holding her close and began to feel her settle down. She was crying, her head resting on his shoulder. She leaned towards his ear and whispered words Dirk wasn't expecting to hear.

"Please…help me. Save me…please."


	4. Rebound

Open Wounds

Chapter 4: Rebound

Dirk stares at his shoes as he walks towards school. What he witnessed at the house of the Mesmeralds is embedded into his mind. _That __pain__…__ she__ should __not__ alone_…he thinks to himself. He stops in front of the school and stares at the sulking figure. The sulking figure turns around and looks at Dirk. Anita looks straight into Dirk's eyes.

"Why did you stop, Dirk? We still have to get to our classroom, you know."

"Yes, I know, Anita. I'm just thinking about you." Dirk closes in on Anita and little space separates the two beings. "Did you mean what you said a month again…Do you want to be saved?" Anita looks down and steps on Dirk's foot which makes him jump back.

"I don't need saving. Just…a form of protection. My dad cannot be there all the time to save me…especially here at school. This is the one place Dad cannot do anything."

"Why not?" Dirk was slightly confused.

"Publicity. If Dad were to suddenly show himself here at school…You hunters will take care of him. That and the school district will reconsider me being a student." She gives Dirk a sideways glance. "I actually want to finish my schooling." Anita began to walk again and Dirk follows her.

"I think I understand." Dirk nods his head and the two students step into the school. Dirk and Anita walk to the classroom but Anita begins to get a bad feeling. Chills go down her spine and her gut is telling her to get out of there.

"Dirk, take me to the school rooftop. NOW. I've got a bad feeling about it." Anita grips his hand furiously.

"Ow! Anita, all you have to do is ask! What about class?"

"Screw class. This is more important!" She grips onto his collar. "Now, take me to the rooftop or I will castrate you!"

"Alright! Fine!" Dirk grabs Anita's hand and runs to the rooftop. Anita runs to the railing and looks down.

"No…Dirk! Look!" Dirk rushes to the railing with slight pants.

"It's…two…men…what about them?" Dirk caught his breath. He was lowering his breath and exhaling slowly.

"Those…were the men that saw me a month ago. They're true vampires; this can only mean trouble, Dirk!"

"Yes…but what could they want?" Anita and Dirk jolted at the voice of the loud speaker. The sounds of feedback erupted throughout the school.

"Anita Mesmerald, your school is armed with bombs in every classroom. To save your classmates, you must come with us. Come on the front lawn in 10 minutes, or all of your classmates will die." The loud speaker ended and Anita looks at Dirk in determination.

"They want me…so I'll give them what they want. But, of course, I will not go with them quietly." Anita reaches into her bag and pulls out a small red vial. "Do you have any idea what this is, Dirk?" Anita swirls the vial back and fort and the liquid mixes itself. The dried liquid on the side of the vial mixes together with the warmer liquid and becomes a bright red color. Dirk watches in interest and his eyes upon the liquid tell Anita otherwise.

"No…Is it important?" Dirk catches the sigh in Anita's face as she taps the vial lightly and flicks it with her fingers.

"Yes…this is vampire blood. I always carry it around with me to my schools. Because…I never know when a situation like this will happen; therefore, I'm always prepared for the necessary." She grips the vial lightly in her palm and continues to shake it.

"Is it your father's?" Anita nods. She pulls bandages from her school bag and wraps it around her hands. Once her hands are covered completely, she ties a ribbon on her wrist at the end.

"It increases my strength to that of my father's powers for five minutes. After five minutes, the blood is rejected out the body and I lose my normal body motor functions for about an hour. It's a terrible price, but if it's to protect everyone and to defeat the vampires…I have to take it." Anita stares at the vial, hesitating. "Because this is the only way to equalize our power with the vampires, I need to ask you for help, Dirk."

"With what?" Anita points to his gun holster.

"I'll need to borrow one of your guns. I'll take care of it, so don't worry." Dirk reluctantly hands her the gun, specifically Zeus. "Keep your other gun with you. I'll need your backup if the serum happens to backfire too soon and a vampire is still conscious…" She leaves her backpack on the roof and puts the serum in her shirt pocket. "Let's go."

"Anita, we should at least get Amir to help…We cannot do this alone!" The steps taken in the hallway echoed back and fort.

"If we get Amir, they'll know where we are. We know that there are some vampires within the building because they were able to use the loud speaker. However, they don't know my exact location right now. If there's a vampire in our classroom, I will be found out and our classmates may be injured in the process. If we get Amir, there is a chance the classroom bombs are motion-sensors; in other words, the bombs will go off and classmates will die if we enter a classroom." The two made it to the front of the school. "How much time do I have left from when they spoke on the loud speaker?"

"Umm…I'd say 7 minutes…" Dirk anxiously looks at his wristwatch and Anita smiles.

"That's enough time." Anita unscrews the cap of the vial and forces herself to drink the blood despite its horrid taste. She holds the gun in her right hand and struts outside onto the front lawn. Walking past the front steps, Anita slowly opens her eyes, which had changed into a mahogany red color as a result of drinking the blood. She smiles as she becomes eye-to-eye with the two vampires. They wore black suits, as they had when she first saw them. Her discontent transforms into a grin upon approaching the duo.

"Hello again, Anita." The blond one looks at her gun and does a small scoff. "You don't expect to kill us, do you? With your human genes, there's no way you could match up with us."

"You know, there's more than one way to win a match." She drops the gun to the floor and walks closer. "Now, disarm every bomb in the school. I've come quickly and quietly, so there is no need for dead bodies and worthless bloodshed."

"Ah, so you mean this?" As Will took out a small USB, Anita used the vampire speed to grab it and using the new-found strength, crushed it in the palm of her hand. "You…You little brat!" He ran towards her and she quickly grabs the dropped gun and begins shooting. The other vampires rush at her and she only used a single silver bullet on each. Using everything in her power, she engaged in their normal combat including punches. Her face was covered with rebounded blood that hit her face from the vampires and her bandages were red with her blood. Dirk watched silently and prepared new bullets in his other gun, Hera. The only vampire standing was the silver-haired one, who simply grinned.

"So, you must have drunk your father's blood. What a brave soul you are." Vaughn steps towards Anita as she holds the gun towards the direction of his head. The blood from the other vampires had splayed on Anita's face and clothing, tainting it with their smell. Her body began to tremble and Vaughn grinned. Anita began to sweat as realization hit her.

"No…Not now!" Anita punched her legs, only to make them collapse. Vaughn kicked the gun out of her hand and he pushed her body against the floor. He grabbed both of her hands in one hand and raised the hands above her head. Her eyes had changed back from mahogany to a purplish-green and Vaughn watches in interest.

"Ah, those five minutes are over, aren't they? I will admit, though, I would not have expected you to knock them out in the simple five minutes given to the blood enhancement. Maybe I should have a taste of your blood myself. I can finally find out why a beauty like you could be with someone like Ivan for so long without the whole world knowing." Anita tried to back away from Vaughn, but her legs refused to move and body trembled. Vaughn brought his hand to her neck, gently tugging at her ribbon and tears welled up in her eyes. Vaughn breathes in her scent and inches closer towards her neck as Anita tries desperately to move her body in any way she can.

"No…" The fangs begin to scrape against her neck, signaling pain to Anita. "No!" Her fear becomes realized as the fangs sink into her neck and weakness flows through her body. "DIRK!" Anita screamed with all her might and a gunshot rang out. Vaughn takes a hit in the shoulder and he backs away, catching a glimpse of Dirk above Anita. The blood seeped generously out of his wound and the silver bullet makes the bullet effectively harm his body. However, the scent of Anita's blood overcomes his pain and he takes in her sweet-smelling blood.

"Heh…I see now. There is a hunter here as well…This will be interesting to the lord. Thank you for the light snack, Anita." He grins, picks up Will and vanishes before Dirk can shot at him again. Dirk watches the vampire disappear and returns to Anita's side. Her body trembles a lot and the blood drips from her neck. Her breathing is deep and she begins to cry. Dirk hugs Anita tightly as she cries in his shoulder. He takes the ribbon and wraps it around her neck as her body continues to shake.

"It's okay, Anita…you're okay." He lightly rubs her back with his hand to help her calm her nerves.

"Dirk…" Anita froze as she saw who was behind Dirk.

"Both of you were reckless, only two humans fighting against five vampires." Dirk turns around to see Ivan Mesmerald behind him. "I think it's best I have a chat with both of you. Now."


	5. Dance in the Face of Fear

Open Wounds

Chapter 5: Dance in the Face of Fear

"Anita!" Daisy and Freya run out of the classroom into the front of the school. Amir also comes with them and notices Ivan there.

"Dirk, get down!" Amir took out his knife and threw it straight at Ivan. Dirk caught the knife in midair. "Dirk! What are you doing?"

"Well, I'm stopping you from killing Anita's father. After all, he wasn't the one who sent the vampires to our school."

"What?" Freya looks confused and glances at Dirk. "Is Anita's father a vampire or something?"

"No, he's not. He's just…" Ivan grabs Dirk's shoulder and the three vanish. Dirk hits the floor of Anita's house, a bruise beginning to form on his knees. "What was that for? You want them to know you're a vampire?"

"At this point, I could care less. Especially now, since you let them get away alive." Ivan grabs his daughter's shirt and pulls her attention towards him. "What were you thinking when you took the blood? Was nothing going through your head when you used it to kill other vampires?" Ivan's voice rose and Anita was slightly choking.

"You told me to use it to protect people…I used it to protect my classmates! Is…Is that so wrong?" Anita was slowly regaining her strength and her father threw her to the ground.

"Don't you know how dangerous that stuff is? You could have—" Dirk stood between the immobilized Anita and the angry vampire. "Move, human." The anger within Ivan's eyes did not calm.

"I cannot let you do anything further. Anything else, vampire, and it's a bullet to the head from me." Ivan growled at Dirk.

"You, too, are at fault, Hunter. You supplied my daughter with a silver gun. Now, pray tell me what went through your head that she needed to defend her classmates, drink the emergency blood I gave her and kill them with that particular silver gun. Do tell me you were thinking of the consequences of your actions. If not, then I shall enforce the punishment myself." Ivan grabs Dirk by the neck and pushes him against the wall. "Because of your one-sided actions, the whole vampire world will now be looking for my daughter Anita and her hunter friend. Despite my reputation and how strong I may be, the vampire lord is stronger than me and he will destroy the two of you." Dirk claws at Ivan's hand, but Ivan's grip only seems to get stronger. "This is why I hate being a vampire!" Dirk was beginning to lose consciousness at the grip and Anita hugs her dad from behind.

"Dad! Stop it! Don't kill Dirk!" Anita bit her father's shoulder, causing him to release Dirk. He grabbed Anita's hair and removed her from his shoulder, glaring at her. "Dad, please, calm down, please…" Anita started to cry. "You're scaring me…Please, I beg of you…" Ivan is shocked and releases Anita's hair and she falls to the floor. Anita is hiding her face behind her hands with soft whimpers. Dirk places his hand on Anita's hand, gently lifting her hands from her face. She hugs Dirk, immersing her face into his chest. Dirk sits up and lets Anita cry in his shirt. Ivan is startled by the scene and leaves the two alone, going into Anita's room. Dirk looks at Anita, who is still crying in her chest. He puts his hand on top of her head and caresses her long and frazzled hair. She begins to calm down after five minutes and she looks up at Dirk with her blue eyes. "Dirk…"

"A…Anita?" Dirk cannot help but blush as her face looks so innocent and cute. Anita leans forward and their lips connect. Without given a second to recover, Anita pulls away from the kiss and gets up.

"Thank you, Dirk, for your help today. Now…I hope you don't mind, but…I have to start getting ready for the Vampire Ball tonight." Anita opened the front door for Dirk and patiently waited.

"Anita…" Dirk felt confused, but he began to head for the door. "Anita, can I give you something?"

"Like what?" Dirk reached into his shirt pocket, grabbing a small black box. He pushed it into Anita's hand, closing her fingers over it.

"If you wear this, it will weaken even the most powerful vampire spell. It was…handed down to me from my deceased parents, but since I cannot come to the ball with you, you can borrow it for tonight. Who knows, it may bring you the luck you need." Dirk leaves, still confused about Anita's actions. Anita waves to him as he walks away and she returns to her room. Her outfit for the ball is splayed on the bed and she changes into the dress. The dress uses a halter top and tightens around her stomach. From her waist down, the dress gets bigger to resemble that of a ballroom gown. The dress is a mahogany color and the dance shoes are also a dark color, almost black. She brushes her hair and smiles. She puts on small gun strap on her thigh underneath her dress and places Zeus into the holster. Anita takes the small box she received from Dirk. Opening it, she pulls out a stainless silver cross with a single diamond in the center of the intersection. Anita puts the silver chain around her neck and the cross lands a bit above her boobs. She can feel its weight, but she lets it not bother her. Walking out of her room, she notices her father dressed in a tuxedo by the door. She approaches him and takes note of the slight discomfort on his face.

"Father? I'm ready." Anita took his hand, his face never leaving the floor.

"Anita." Anita looks at her father. "There is one thing I have to ask of you."

"What is it, Dad?"

"No matter what happens tonight…Please forgive me for everything I've done in the past. And please know…that you can leave my care at any time, if you do not wish to go through turmoil anymore. And please, behave and try not to get yourself into too much trouble." Anita takes in the information and slowly nods to her father. His hand takes Anita's and he looks up. "Then, shall we go?"

"Yes, father." Anita tightens her grip with her father's hand and Ivan teleports them to a huge mansion. The door is adorned with oak and a servant stands at the door. Ivan and Anita walk up to the servant, the servant taking on sniff.

"Ah, Lord Ivan. I will let our Lord aware of your presence. And this is…?" He points to Anita, who grips her father's hands tighter as a reflex.

"Ah, this is my daughter, Anita Mesmerald."

"Of course. Please, come in." He opens the door, entering before Ivan and Anita. The two walk in and the room expands to the size of a dancehall. Many vampires are casually drinking blood in a punch bowl. Some are even playing chess, but many of them freeze. Each of them cast a glance to Anita and Ivan, making Anita more nervous each second they watch her.

"Dad…why are they all staring at me?" Anita held onto her father's hand tightly.

"It's because they recognize your scent…they are well aware that you are clearly a human. Stay close to me or within my sight and you should be okay." Ivan takes many steps forward and stops at the end of the dancehall. Ivan is approached by a man with long unruly hair. His bangs are just above his eyes and his dark blue eyes gaze upon Anita. As a result, Anita stares back at him and is captivated by his eyes. He wears a samurai robe over his body and Anita notices a blue diamond clip in his jet black hair and a masquerade mask hides his face from Anita. She can only see his dark blue eyes amongst the white mask he wears. Ivan bows his head slightly to acknowledge him. "Good evening, my Lord."

"Good evening, Ivan. It has been a while, has it not?" His eyes roam Ivan's body.

"Well, after I was chased by the hunters about ten years ago, it became harder to involve myself within your needs, my Lord." Ivan scratches his head a bit. "Hunters are quite hard to get rid of, but they are fairly easy to escape if they do not come in big numbers. They had so many people after me, I constantly looking for hiding places."

"Yes, it sounds quite…hard. And yet, I think it is something else, wouldn't you agree?" He shots Anita a direct glance. "I'm sorry, I've been rude. Miss Mesmerald, I am the Vampire Lord. It's a pleasure to meet you." He bows towards Anita.

"I am Anita Mesmerald, Ivan's daughter. It is a pleasure to meet you as well, my Lord." Anita curtsies to the Lord. When she stands up, the Lord takes her hand and snatches her from Ivan. Anita ends up in the Lord's arms and she struggles to get out. "My Lord, what are you doing? Please release me."

"Anita, I would like to know you better." Gripping her hand, she is dragged onto the dance floor. "Now, dance with me, won't you?" Anita looks to her father, who is watching them from aside. He sees the worry and begging in her face, but he shakes his head. Anita directs her attention back to the Lord.

"It's not like I have a choice. Ivan told me to be good tonight." Anita sighs in frustration. The Lord chuckles and takes his hands in hers.

"You have a good father. He has taught you well in manners. But, can you dance well?"

"Try me." A smirk slides out of Anita's face and the two begin to dance. As the Lord takes the lead, Anita allows him to be closer for the purpose of the dance. Anita steps back and follows his moves with grace.

"You have been taught well, Anita. But you can still be so rude." The Lord holds his hand up high, allowing Anita to twirl and recalling her to his chest.

"I do not understand, my Lord." They step side to side, Anita keeping up with the pace of her partner.

"I know you've killed a few of my men. It is too bad, since many of them were high-class officers. I simply wanted to meet you, so I requested them to find you. But, Miss Mesmerald, you are a hard woman to find." The beat began to slow down, the Lord holding Anita in his grasps. "Now, how can I get to know a beautiful woman like you better?" His face becomes face-to-face with Anita's. Anita places her hand on his chest, pushing him away and getting herself out of his loose grip.

"I'm sorry, but I refuse your request to know me better. I would not like to dance with you anymore, my Lord." She walks away and the Lord watches her walk away from a glance. Anita walks to the bathroom nearest the door and encloses herself in a toilet stand. She grumbles and punches the wall in her anger. "I swear, if another vampire touches me…" Anita began to shake and tremor, holding her arms to her chest. "I…I…" Anita pulls herself together and stops trembling. "I promised Dad! I just have to get through this dance…Just for a couple of hours…" She stands up, leaving the bathroom stall and heads towards the door. Just as she opens it, however, there is someone standing in her way. She looks up to yell at the person blocking the door but she wished she hadn't looked.

"Ah, it's a pleasure to see you joined the party, Anita." The male vampire with silver hair, the first one she had met at her house. He was also a part of the Lord's army, considering he tried to escort Anita to the Lord. Anita remembers about the gun on her leg and she eases up.

"Ah…Hello there, Vaughn. I…I didn't think you would be here." Anita stood her ground. "I would like to get back to the dance floor and to my father, if you do not mind."

"And I would like to get payback for my friends and my scar." Vaughn took a step closer to her and Anita took a step back. She quickly shut the bathroom door, but Vaughn wedged his shoulder between the door and the hallway to prevent it from closing. Anita tried to press the door against Vaughn, but Vaughn pushes her back. With the door fully opened, Vaughn jumps onto Anita. Anita tries to reach for her gun, but Vaughn snatches both of her wrists and holds them above her head. "You know, a light snack would be more than suitable as repayment. And with your neck exposed, it should be simple."

"Don't you dare, filthy vampire, or I will make sure you will see the daylight and die along with your comrades. I have friends I am more than willing to protect and if you dare hurt them, you'll be wishing to die from the sunlight."

"Pretty big words coming from a human to a vampire."

"Only because your intelligence does not matter your brawn, IDIOT." Anita grinds the words into Vaughn's minds.

"You—" Vaughn feels nails sinking into his neck as the Lord grabs hold of his neck.

"You lay another hand on her, Vaughn, and your life will end. How dare you attempt to drink the blood of my fiancé."

"My…My apologizes, my Lord." Vaughn gags a bit on his words and the Lord lets go as Anita watches him leave.

"Are you alright, Anita? I was concerned when Vaughn beginning to walk this way…" He holds out a hand to her and she swats it away.

"I am not you fiancee. I would never become yours, so what are these lies about marriage, my Lord?" Anita jerks up and looks at him straight in the eyes.

"It was your father. He agreed that I should take your hand in marriage." Anita's temperature rose.

"My father is a nincompoop! I will never marry you or any of your vampire type," Her pointer finger jabs him in the chest. "Nor will I ever agree to it. You may be able to convince my father, but I am human. You cannot convince me that a human and vampire should be together, no matter what lengths. Especially my hatred for your kind." Anita attempts to walk away, but the Lord pulls her towards him and her back hits his chest. "Let go of me!" Anita struggles against his confines.

"Do you really want me to let go and let your friends die?" Anita freezes under his words. "Are you willing to let me kill them all? Freya, Daisy and Amir?"

"How do you—"

"Maybe…I should start with your favorite first. Dirk, am I correct? I'll break his arms and legs into tiny pieces so he cannot fight back." Anita began to tremble. "And I'll make you watch me drink his blood and kill him, slowly and painfully." He bends his head down and licks the side of her neck. "I'll make sure you watch every painstaking moment…you know what power I am truly capable of." His hands begin to travel her body, from her chest down to her waist.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Anita is trembling harder. She feels nails ripping through her dress and fears the worst. Fingertips slip into the side of her waist, shoulder and stomach and Anita stops thinking.

"I won't stop until you agree, Anita. But, until then, I have you under my finger." His hands continue to roam, one underneath her breasts and one rubbing between her legs.

"Stop, please," Anita's voice is shaking. "I'll become your wife and I'll do anything…but please don't kill them or Dirk. I'll do what you want, so please stop!" She yelps out in her residing fearful state. The Lord stops and his fingertips retract from the holes and meet together at her stomach. Anita lets out a relieving sigh.

"Then, it is settled. You're going to become my wife and you stay in my mansion with me for three months prior to the wedding. You will not attend school, but I will make arrangements with your father to have your school materials transferred here. In the meantime, I will leave you now to prepare your room." A smile appears on his face. "I'm very glad you accepted my offer, Anita." The Lord moves away from Anita and walks to the door. Closing it behind him, Anita's knees give out and she falls to the floor. She curls up on the ground and hugs her knees.

"What…What have I gotten into? I'm so scared, but…I have to protect everyone, but…not this way." Anita grabs hold of Dirk's necklace. "Dirk, what should I do? It's likely I won't see you again…and I won't see my friends…I'm such a fool." Anita's tears fall from her face and land on the necklace she holds in her palm. "But I…I will show them no emotion, no matter how hard they try. They may have my body, but they will never have my heart and soul!" She gets up, wiping away her tears. "Wait for me, everyone. I will come out of this alive, I swear." Anita leaves the restroom and makes her way back to the dance floor. She sees her father talking with the Lord and she makes her way over to them.

"Ah, Anita. So glad you could join us. I was just making the final arrangements for your stay here." The Lord tries to intertwine Anita's hand with his, but she bats it away.

"I'm sorry, my Lord, but could you leave me alone with my father? I would like to have a word with him about all of the arrangements."

"Of course, Anita. Take your time." He walks away and chats with his other guests.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, playing matchmaker?" Anita grips her father's tie. "You cannot seriously expect me to marry him when I'm underage and going to school. I even told you to not get me involved in anything that involved vampires."

"Anita…I know you're very angry with me and I'm sorry for pushing this on you."

"Dad…how could you do this to me…tell me, please. You know how much I'm scared and afraid I am of vampires that aren't you. You've known this for all the years you have raised me, and now you pull this move on me."

"Anita. He is stronger than me and unfortunately, more vampires favor his decisions more than mine because of his influence. Even if you didn't come to the party, he would have found vampires to kidnap you and pull me out of your reach. I need more support if I want to be able to abdicate his position." Anita stares at her father.

"You're not seriously thinking…" Anita's eyes go wide. "You…You're thinking of doing THAT, are you?"

"Anita, I want no one else to walk in fear. And as much as I hate to do this to you, please go through with the marriage right now. I'll find a way…to save all humans." Ivan winks at Anita. "Trust your dad to do the right thing."

"Okay, Dad." Anita smiles to her father. The father and daughter stay until all guests leave and only the Lord is left. The Lord strides over to Anita and grabs her hand.

"Anita, I shall show you to your room. You may ask anything of the maids and they will help you under my rules. In other words, they will not harm you."

"Thank you, my Lord." The Lord stops at a door at the end of the hallway of the second floor. Opening the floor, Anita's room is designed to be a comfortable bed with blued sheets and blankets, adorned with a huge closet full of clothes. Two night stands lay on each end of the bed and four pillows sit up against the bed frame. A see-through sheet hangs from the ceiling and divides itself into two.

"It looks gorgeous, my Lord." Anita lays on the bed and smiles.

"I am glad you like it, Anita. Now, I will leave you to get more aquatinted with your room."

"Thank you, my Lord." Anita waves to her dad and the Lord. Her dad disappears and the lights go off in her room as the Lord leaves. Now, left alone in her thoughts, Anita grins. The exchange of words between father and daughter lead upon and redirected towards the right path.

"Let's destroy all vampires within this world." Anita pulls out the gun from under her dress and pulls the safety off. "Of course, the only way to kill the rooster is to shoot the head off first."


	6. Reality

Open Wounds

Chapter 6: Reality

"Anita? Anita Mesmerald?" The teacher looks up from her seat. "Hmm…She's still absent." The teacher continues to call names for attendance. Dirk's eyes hover over to Anita's empty seat. Her absence worries him, and after school he heads with only one place in mind: Anita's house. He walks there by foot and notices the grey clouds that linger into the sun. Dirk walks up to the door and hesitates before knocking the door. After a few moments, he lightly knocks on the door. The door, unlocked, swings slightly open.

"Hello?" Dirk pushes the door to open it further. Ivan's passed out on the floor with a picture of Anita nearby. Ivan is covered in slash marks and he doesn't appear to be breathing. Dirk rushes over to him and nudges him. "Ivan! What happened?"

"…Anita…I'm so sorry…" Ivan mutters, his eyes trying to pry open. "I…So…hungry…" Dirk pulls out his gun and points it straight in the middle of Ivan's forehead. Ivan's eyes open up wider, but he cannot do anything else. His breath becomes ragged and Ivan tries desperately to do anything, but his condition is terrible. "Dirk…Anita…" Ivan's eyes flow with tears and his tears grace his cheek as they flow down. "…Anita…" Dirk takes off the safety of the gun with his finger on the trigger. His fingers become stiff and the gun begins to shake in his hands. Ivan looks up meekly in Dirk's eyes and continues to call Anita's name as a faint whisper, almost like a plea. Dirk cannot bring himself to pull the trigger and puts the gun back in the gun hollister. Instead, he pulls out his cell phone, dialing an unknown number.

"Hello?" A small voice leaks out from the phone.

"Hiro, I have to call in on that favor…"

* * *

><p>Ivan felt cold and in the dark, but a warm fulfilling sensation engrossed him. He could feel it go down his throat and he began to gulp. He laps up the liquid and realizes exactly what it in: blood. He reaches out and grabs someone's arm. He can feel the flinch from the other person and he sits up, opening his eyes to see his prey. He sees a white and thin boy, wearing a nurse's long blue robe and blue pants. His grey eyes look at Ivan's green eyes and it allows a blush to erupt on Hiro's face. Ivan grips the hand harder staring straight at Hiro.<p>

"You…What do you think you're doing?" Ivan's husky voice, due to the lack of food over a long period of time, slips out of his mouth.

"I…Ivan, I didn't mean to wake you…"

"Hiro…explain yourself! What were you doing?"

"I…I was feeding you…you were going to die if Dirk didn't save you! I…I was worried, too…" Hiro answers weakly. "I got a call from Dirk…I'm taking care of you, so please, let me take care of you."

"No! No more blood…Only Anita…" He flinched violently from the wave of pain with the multiple scars along his body. However, his grip on Hiro's wrist did not loosen.

"Ivan…" Hiro blushes. "I know we had that type of relationship before, but this makes me nervous…" Hiro looks away from Ivan, who immediately releases.

"Sorry…" Ivan looks at his hands. "Anita…"

"Who is Anita, anyway? You were calling her in your dreams…Is she your new girlfriend?" Hiro asks hesitantly.

"No…she's my daughter. Adopted, of course."

"Oh, I see…Where is she?"

"She's….been taken. The vampire lord…he took her away from me…" Ivan places his hand covers his left eye. "I…I couldn't do anything about it. He threatened her and her friends…he's using her…" Ivan stares down.

"Using her? For what?"

"She…" Ivan stares at Hiro. "Truth is, she is quite extraordinary…she is so used to vampires, it's scary. Her adaptation is quite unusual. She is the one I've been looking for…in terms of vampire-wise. She's…adapted to vampire's blood, to the point where people wouldn't normal survive. Usually, people would cower and fear vampires. They should, but Anita…she's our only chance at destroying the vampire's race once and for all."

"Ivan…you're not making sense."

"Well, I never told you this, but…vampire lords have a special bond within them. It usual resembles a tattoo on the back. If human of vampire tries to touch the tattoo, they disintegrate. However, Anita acts as though she was born part vampire. There's a chance she could destroy the tattoo. She's the only one who can do it, though."

"Why her?"

"Well, the tattoo changes from person to person, but it's always transferred to the newborn, creating a new vampire lord. What if…the power wasn't transferred? Then, the baby would not become a vampire and instead become a human. Thus, no vampire lords would exist and the vampires will all become weaker without their lord. I guess you could say we're all connected. But if an outsider took away the connection, we all fall. It…" Ivan sighs inwards. "It would mean the death of every vampire…or, at least, the weakening of every vampire. To the point where we could no longer be extinguished between us and humans."

"But…" Hiro stares at Ivan. "What about you? It affects you too, doesn't it?" Ivan stays silent and footsteps can be heard from across the hall.

"…Don't mention this to them. I know they're down the hall, but zip it. I don't need you to say anything to them. Retrieving Anita is my highest priority right now."

"But Ivan—" Hiro is cut off by the opening of the door. Dirk is accompanied by Felix, his blonde hair tussled underneath his black top hat. "Ah, Dirk and Felix. This is a surprise."

"Hiro, I told you I would be visiting soon after. It hasn't even been an hour since I visited." Dirk notices Ivan sitting up. "Ah, you're finally conscious. Must be glad to get some blood back in your system."

"Quite the opposite. I'm furious." Ivan glares at both men. "Wait, you're…" Ivan quickly looks away from Felix.

"Ivan? You…" Felix looks at Ivan upon close inspection. Ivan only allowed Felix a quick look, but that look was all that was needed to jog Felix's memory. "I remember now! You saved me a couple of years ago!"

"Huh?" Dirk's surprise is visible on his face. "Wait, you know this vampire personally?" Ivan tries to get away, but his ankles are chained to the bed. His strength is still fairly week, so he cannot simply break out of them. He sighs and moves as far away as he can from Felix and Dirk.

"Well, a couple of years ago, my daughter Sherry and I were new to this city. Even with our security, four or five vampires arranged an attack on us. Ivan, after seeing us get injured and the vampires about to take my daughter away, he intervened. He killed the vampires for us and Ivan left this behind." Felix took out of his pocket a light-blue gemmed necklace. There were three flowers in the center, silver intertwining the outside of the flowers. Ivan's eyes pop out of his head.

"Anita! You…give it back!" Ivan lunges for it, but his restraints keep him down. He curses and continues to try reaching for the necklace. After a while, his efforts are in vain and he tenses against the pillow. "What more could you want?...WHAT do you want, anyway?"

"We want your help to destroy your entire race. Our soldiers, despite everything, are not entirely used to the combat of vampires. So, we'd like to offer you the chance to train our soldiers. We'll provide you with free blood and your own room."

"…You'll get your wish, with or without my help. In two months, all the vampires will gather for a special event. Specifically, the vampire lord's wedding."

"Wedding?"

"Well, each vampire lord needs a mate to pass his generation. In other words, a vessel for the firstborn to be grown and raised. Anita…Anita was chosen as the vessel." Ivan's eyes go straight down.

"ANITA? But she's human!" Dirk objects.

"All the more reason for it to be her who was chosen, not another female vampire. She is only human who was adopted by a vampire and the only one who has had the most involvement with vampires. She is being blackmailed to marry him, though…she was not given a choice to object." Ivan covers his eyes with his hands. "An…Anita! She wants vampires gone as well, but…Anita!" He begins sobbing incoherently and the tears come down like a river. "Anita…please, help me save her! I don't care if it costs me my life…I…I need her back…Anita, I need you safe!" His voice rises to a yell. "ANITA!" Dirk is shocked to see Ivan wailing like a newborn child. Felix and Dirk take in the scene and Hiro attempts to calm the distressed vampire. Ivan fights Hiro as much as he could, but eventually fatigue sets into Ivan's body and Hiro catches him in a hug. Ivan just sits up, tears still flowing down his cheeks and staring into the distance. Dirk and Felix welcome the silence as it allows them to release their withheld voices.

"We'll retrieve your daughter for the cost of your life."


	7. Obscured

Open Wounds

Chapter 7: Obscured

The vampire lord smiled.

Nothing could please him more than the sight before him.

His wife-to-be, a human vampire hater, had crept into his room as he slept and attempted to kill him.

The click of the safety of the gleaming gun brought a spark within him. The spark of excitement.

It had been too long since he had felt such a feeling. Unbeknownst to his companion, he had heard her from the room across the hall. However, he played dead to see where his fiancée would go. He then heard the twisting of the door handle ever so slowly. Turn by turn, the door opened an inch. Then, another inch. There was a slight pause before the door opened halfway. The first foot echoed a creak from the floor. There was creaking noises, with the swift sound of silence as the foot embraced the floor. Then, a smaller creak squeaked from the floor. He knows that she is inside the room. A small whisper of wind brushes past his ear and he clenches her wrist tightly. She gasps and releases the gun from her hand from the sudden force.

"What are you doing?"

Panic.

He cannot see it because of the dark, but he can feel it from the sweat beginning to leak from her hand and her pulling, trying to get her hand free from his grip.

The lord jerks her to the bed and mounts her, pinning her shoulders down on the bed. He feels her body tense underneath him, but he does not feel any resistance. "You aren't resisting. Then, I can have my way?"

"No. Don't even think of doing that! I'm not yours." Her amethyst eyes stared straight into his blue void-less eyes.

"But, surely, you cannot escape me the way you are now. And, you will obey me in mind and in body. Otherwise," He slips his hand under her black tank top and brushes against the side of her waist. Anita trembles and tries to move remove the intruding hand. "All your friends will die. I'll torture them slowly and painfully right in front of you." He brings his lips to her forehead and kisses it. "Don't you remember, my dear Anita?" He licked her neck and felt her quake beneath him.

"...Please don't kill them." Anita's voice pleads. She becomes tense, but her body relaxes defiantly. She turns away from his eyes and her body begins to shake.

"Your friends and your fears are your weaknesses. And that, sweet Anita, will be your downfall." He tries to nudge his leg between hers, but her legs refuse to part. He nudged his head on her neck and bites down. Anita screams from the pain, her fists clenching into the bed.

"You...You damn vampire, let go of me!" He bites harder and she screams louder.

"You are mine now. You must obey me, be loyal to me and no one else." He continues to drink from her neck and tries to nudge her legs open again. After a couple of minutes, her legs lose their resistance and he removes his pants. Pressing on the open punctures on her neck, he removes her pajama bottoms. Her eyes go wide and she starts to cry.

"Please, don't." She tries to maneuver away from him, but he holds her down. "No, Please!" She calls out desperately. He ignores her cries and prepares to enter her.

"STOP!"

* * *

><p>"You're good. Really tight. You are truly worth it." The lord chuckles and stands. "I'll have Vaughn clean up your mess. I'm sure he would be willing." The lord turns and grins at Anita. "Oh, and I'll hold onto your gun for now. It'll make a nice gift." He dresses and leaves, carrying the gun in his hand. Walking down the hallway, Vaughn runs into the lord.<p>

"Ah, good morning, my lord."

"Good morning, Vaughn. If you don't mind, I'd like you to clean my sheets. And, find something suitable for my wife to wear." The lord walks past Vaughn and Vaughn walks into the lord's room.

"Anita...?" Vaughn first knocks on the door, then opens the door. Anita lies on top of the bed cover that has blood stains. The blood is mostly between her legs and next to her neck. She sees Vaughn come in from the corner of her eyes, her aimless stare never leaving the ceiling. She tries to cover her body with the tainted cover, but she only covers herself in her own blood doing so.

"..." Anita sits on the edge on the bed in silence.

"Anita, I have to change your sheets and get you ready for the day." Vaughn tugs gently on the sheets she clung onto so desperately.

"…Please, I want clothes first…Please." Her voice shakes and the tear drops from her cheek. One after another, more tears flow down. Vaughn is slightly taken aback, but proceeds to advance towards Anita.

"You need a bath first. Now, I'll be taking this." He rips the sheet out of her hands and looks at her back. Dried blood cements her back and slash marks cover every inch not covered in dried blood. "Anita, I need to clean you up. That dried blood will not help you if any of those wounds get infected."

"…You're right, I guess…"

"I'll prepare the bath." Vaughn threw Anita a robe. "If you're so paranoid about covering up, this should help until you get into the bath."

"…Thanks." She mutters and slips into the robe. Vaughn heads into the bathroom, turning the knobs for the hot and cold water. She nervously walks towards Vaughn. "Can I…ask you something?"

"…What?" He growls at her.

"…Why are you here?"

"What do you mean?"

"…You…don't want to be here, do you?"

"Taking care of you? No." He chuckles and shines a menacing smile.

"I mean, here. In this castle." Vaughn stiffens a little.

"What's it to you?"

"Is it…my fault?" Anita's amethyst eyes look longingly at Vaughn. Vaughn catches her glance, but she looked down once they made eye contact.

"Your bath is ready. Get in and wash yourself. I'll lay out the clothes you need. He starts to leave, but Anita grabs his hand.

"I'm sorry. It is all my fault that you are here, isn't it?" She grabs his hand tighter. "I'm so sorry."

"What's it to you why I'm here?!" Vaughn pushes her back, her back hitting the wall next to the tub. Realizing what he had done, he takes a step towards her to check if she's okay. Anita's arms hug her body and she begins to sniffle. She puts her head on her knees.

"Our Father, who art in heaven…Hallowed be thy name…thy kingdom come, thy will be done…On Earth as it is in Heaven…"

"Anita?" Vaughn takes another step towards her, but she doesn't move.

"For…Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us…"

"Anita!" Vaughn grabs her shoulders and forces her to sit up.

"LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION, BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL!" Anita looks up at the ceiling, the tears falling down. She brings her glance down to Vaughn. Vaughn wipes away her tears and takes off her robe. With no resistance from Anita, Vaughn picks up Anita bridal style and places her in the bath. Vaughn pulls up his sleeves and uses a bar of soap to cleanse Anita's back. Anita winces in pain as Vaughn scrapes off the dried blood.

"…Aren't you going to finish?" Anita flinches.

"…Finish?"

"Will taught me that prayer. The last part is 'For thine is the kingdom, the power, the glory. Ahem.'"

"…Will?"

"He's also the reason I hate you so much." Vaughn moved the soap back to her upper back. "You fought back and put the bullet in his chest." He puts the soap in his left hand as the right hand gently splashes water on her back. "And I have to be a slave just so he gets the proper treatment! It's all your fault!" He clenches her throat and holds her under the water. Anita claws at Vaughn's hands and she tries to push herself up from the tub. "You think that just because you had to protect those worthless people that you could kill other vampires without any consequences? Did you really think you were so invisible as long as your father was around to protect you? Well, where is he now?!" Anita cannot keep her breath as oxygen flees her throat. Vaughn's grip doesn't loosen and Anita's resistance grows weaker. Just as he feels Anita become weaker, he lets go and pulls her out of the water. Anita gasps for air and spits out water that had gotten into her lungs. "You can finish cleaning yourself. I'm done babysitting." Vaughn gets up, leaving Anita alone. "I'll only come back to change the sheets. If I see you again, I will kill you." He closes the bathroom door, absent to the look of betrayal setting into Anita's features.

* * *

><p>Once Anita had finished her bath, she put on the clothes Vaughn had left for her. It was a black Lolita dress with red ribbons and white lace along the edges of the fabric. The fabric seemed very soft and thin, so she gently slipped into the dress. She hesitantly brings her hand up to her neck and brushes against the puncture marks from the vampire lord. His words from her failed attempt at night echoed in her head.<p>

"_You will obey me in mind and in body." _She trembled at the mere thought of that night. She moved her hand down from that spot and looked in the mirror. Hand marks were visibly red on her neck, having not enough time to fade away from the event a few minutes ago.

"_Did you really think you were so invisible as long as your father was around to protect you? Well, where is he now?!" _

"He'll…He'll rescue me. I…I know he will. But…what if he doesn't? Then…Then I won't be able to…to…I won't be able to go home. I'll be a vampire…with a kid!" She puts her hand underneath the silver cross necklace she hung around her neck. "Only…Only God can help me…but he didn't help me last night or today! Even God has abandoned me!" She curls her hand into a fist and breaks part of the mirror. Chunks of the glass shards seeped through her knuckles, causing her to bleed. "Ah…stupid shards." She rips the shards from her skin and wraps bandages around her knuckles. She opens the door from the bathroom to the vampire lord's room. The sheets had been changed and the sun began to set. She sits on the bed, her head hung down to the floor. She watched the sunset and once the darkness had covered the night, she heard the door open.

Her head slowly went up and her eyes met those of red.


	8. The Final Straw

Open Wounds

Chapter 8: The Final Straw

Anita's POV:

I don't want to think anymore.

It just seems that everything I have done or participated in has led to this very moment.

The moment when I wish I was stronger when I feel so weak.

For the last month, I have not been able to sleep well. I feel uncomfortable being in the castle. I continue to think that if I fall asleep, I will be taken advantage of or killed.

With the addition of having not heard or seen my father in the past month, I feel weak.

No, not weak: powerless.

I know I cannot escape; or rather, it would not be smart of me to escape.

My father's plan is still set in motion: to kill all the vampires on the glorious wedding day, when the biggest gathering of vampires is together.

But I wish it was not me who was bait.

I wish I could go back to my father and finish school.

I wish I could see my friends, who are probably worried about me.

And Dirk…I wish I could hug him, never let go of him.

But those are wishes: feeble wishes that cannot come true.

Reality has no time for wishes.

I would ask God to spare me all this pain, to take it all away or to help me endure.

But just like my father, God has vanished from me.

God has not heard my prayers.

So, there is only one thing I know for certain.

I do not want to be alone.

My thoughts stop when I heard the door open and the lamp light turn on.

I slowly look up to meet the vampire lord's eyes: they have been stripped of their usual dark blue and replaced with a vibrant red. I gulp nervously; his look reminds me of the first time I offered my father to drink my blood.

My father was badly injured: injured to the point where regeneration was not possible in his current state of health. He had just barely managed to escape the fight and come home.

I panicked when I saw him fatally wounded like that.

I took a small kitchen knife and pressed the blade against my neck.

He pleaded with me not to do it.

The last thing he wanted was blood from his adopted daughter.

He struggled to maintain control; he wanted my blood, but he didn't dare to hurt me.

But he could not convince me; I had already made up my mind. I slashed the blade across my neck and dropped the knife.

That night decided my fate.

I took the road less traveled by, and that made all the difference.

I draw my attention to the bed as the vampire lord sits down near me.

"Were you waiting for me?" The lord leans into me, his hand brushing my hair away from my neck. I twitch at the sudden movement, thinking he will bite into my neck. But instead, he lays a soft kiss. I become tense; his gentle touch sends alerts throughout my body.

"…What are you doing?" It comes out as a whisper. He rests his chin on my shoulder, his hand slithering into mine.

"Can I not show my affections for my love? Can I not be gentle with you…dearest Anita?" He smiles and kisses my neck again gently. My trembling hand tries to escape from his grasp, but he doesn't let go. I push him away and stand up.

"Your affections are unnatural. Why are you doing such things?" I glare at him, my purple eyes clashing with his red eyes.

"You must be lonely without your father, right? Why don't I keep you company? After all," he starts to walk towards me and hugs me "Are we not getting married in two months? We cannot stay on bad terms forever." He tilts his head down and kisses my exposed forehead.

"I only agreed because you threatened to kill my friends!" I try to shove him away, but his grip is like iron. "Let me go…" I growl.

"If I do, you'll just run away from me." He wraps his right arm along my waist and his left hand cups my cheek. It forces me to look into his eyes, but I look away. His lips capture mine and I let out a surprised gasp. I pull away from him, not noticing his hand fisted in my hair until he begins to pull down. "I'm very hungry. Don't try to resist." He pulls down and I whimper in pain. He starts to lean into my neck and he kisses it again. Then, he sinks his teeth into my neck. I can already feel the dizzy spell begin to drag my body. I do not resist; Ivan told me to not struggle or move whenever he was feeding from me. It could cause a more serious injury to occur. After a while, my knees almost gave out while the lord was feeding, but he could tell. He pulled out, lapping up what was trickling down my throat. Then, his right hand released me and I fell to the floor, my knees giving out. "Why are there red marks on your throat?" His snarl puts me on edge.

"Red marks?"

"There are red marks on your neck. Almost like hand marks." There is anger on his face. I open my mouth to tell him who it was.

Nothing is coming out.

I try again, but nothing comes out. Not even a syllable or a sound. I wanted to tell him, but my own body was preventing me from speaking. Then I remember what Vaughn predicament is: if I tell the lord what he did, the treatment for Will would surely disappear.

"I fell." I tell him. "Vaughn tried to catch me before I fell. But he grabbed me too hard, and that is why there are marks around my neck." I look at his face and he's searching my eyes, trying to find truth in them.

"Is that so…" He grabs my hand and throws me on the bed. My arm hits the bedframe hard and I glare at him. "Stop lying to me."

"I'm not lying to you…Vaughn caught me falling down."

"Liar!" He grips my neck like Vaughn had down earlier, but with no pressure. It's enough, however, to startle me; I kick him away. I begin to pant and my hands start to trace the marks and even scratch at where the pain is. "You know, I thought we could get along…" I freeze at what he says. I realize that I pushed him away in self-defense. "But if you are going to keep the truth from me, then I'll have to teach you some manners."

"No…I have not done anything wrong! I have not!" I plea and my hands hold my head. He runs towards me and throws me on the bed. I huddle up near the pillows feeling some protection. Despite my protests, he chains my hands to the bed posts. He pulls out a knife and presses the dull side to my cheek.

"I'll tell you a sad truth about your life. You listening?" He positions my face towards him. "You haven't heard a single word from your father, have you? You know I told him, he could visit you whenever he wanted to. I even encouraged it!" He grins widely and his blade moves down towards the puncture marks still fresh on my neck. "You must know Ivan: he's a very proud, but secretive man. You are more likely to find him boasting about how great you are rather than him discussing his current life." Hesitantly, I nod. "Well, do you not think that he would try to at least see you?"

I'm not denying anything he's saying.

It's true that my father has cut all contact with me since I got here.

At first I thought it was because he was busy making the plans.

But when a week went by, I began to worry.

Ivan has never left me alone for this long before.

And the truth is, I'm scared.

I'm scared because I'm all alone, alone in this cruel place, with no connection to anyone on the outside.

I'm all alone and scared.

Is Ivan done with me?

Why is he ignoring me?

There has to be a reason: there just has to be.

As though he could read my thoughts, the vampire lord suddenly frowned. "I do know what happened to your father. Tragic, really." He sighs.

"What happened?!" I shout it rage. "What happened to Dad? I deserve to know! I'm his daughter, for crying out loud!" I tug my hands, making the chains rattle.

"Well, I went to visit him today. Even I was curious to know what could ever happen to him." He pulls out a photo and holds it in front of me so I can see. It's my father, but he's covered in slash marks. He has two bullet wounds, both dangerously close to his heart. He's holding something blue in his hand, but I cannot make it out. Next to his leg is a familiar silver gun with the name Zeus written on the side.

It cannot be.

It CANNOT be.

"No…No, it cannot be true! Papa can't be dead! He can't!" I yell, tears running down my cheeks. I jerk my hands again, but the chains just continue to rattle.

"Well, Vaughn was with me, if you don't believe me. But, we did see this young gentleman stepping out of the house before we went in." I turned to look at the new photo.

It was Dirk, wearing his school uniform. He wasn't wearing his hat, but both the jacket and the pants had blood spatters. He was missing both of his guns, since both holsters were empty. However, in his left hand was a familiar blade: a small silver knife with a gold, Chinese handle. The blade was dripping with blood. That blade belonged to my father, Ivan: before he adopted me, he went to China and bought that blade. Ivan never let me touch it because he was afraid I would damage it. If Ivan would never let me touch it, there's no way Dirk could ever dream of holding it. And that fact that it was in Dirk's possession was…

"Dirk…" I shake my head violently. "No, that cannot be!"

"Ah, your little hunter friend? Well, it looks like he got to Ivan before I could. Ivan was dead by the time we inspected inside. We checked his pulse. His vital signs were gone." He takes away the second picture. I cannot keep the tears back and my strangled voice erupts.

"No! Anyone but Dirk…I couldn't save my dad! I should have stayed with him! PAPA!" I can't help crying now. "ANYONE BUT DAD! ANYONE BUT DIRK!" I scream at the top of my lungs. With my scream, the glass window and glass mirror break. The lord can tell that something strange is going on, but he cannot figure out what is happening. In my anguish, I pull again at the chains, but successfully break them without any effort. I cover my face with my hands, unaware I broke the chain. "He…He promised me he'd never leave me alone! Why did this have to happen?"

"Anita, calm down!" He yells.

"You…" My anger is beginning to overwhelm me. "You did nothing to save him! You're just as powerless as I am!" I push him off the bed and stand up on the floor. "It was my job to protect my dad, and I failed! Do you honestly think I can calm down?!" The whole floor is beginning to shake violent. For some reason, I have a very easy time keeping my balance. "And now he's dead because I couldn't protect him from the Hunters! And…And…" The shaking stops and I fall to my knees. "I'm all alone…" My hands cover my face and I try not to show my vulnerability. "I'm all alone…"

This was one thing I hoped to never face.

Being alone in this sick, twisted world.

Where death can occur at any moment and saviors are dead.

"You are not alone, Anita."

I wipe my eyes a bit. I look straight into the vampire lord's eyes; he looks serious.

"Of course I'm alone. I have no one else left." I give out a small chuckle. "You, of all people, should know that." My face looks down and to the ground.

"You are not alone. If you have not forgotten, we are to be married at the end of next month." He offers me his hand. I hesitantly take it and he pulls me up. "I won't leave you alone. Do you understand?" He pulls me in for a soft and gentle hug. The alarms in my body go off and I stiffen. He places a chastised kiss on my forehead and the alarms go off even more.

He has a point.

If I marry him, I won't ever be alone.

And because my father is now dead because of the Hunters, I have no faith in either humans or vampires. But Ivan has involved me with the vampires for longer than normal, so it has become a part of my lifestyle.

I cannot ignore them, but I cannot trust them either.

I wish I didn't have such a choice.

But I don't.

Slowly, my hands unravel from my chest and start to wrap around him. My body is trembling in fear. Not violently, but enough for the lord to notice.

"Is that a yes?" He smiles slightly and kisses my forehead again.

"You'll know in a month."

"Of course." He smiles and picks me up like a bride. "But, you must be exhausted. You should go to sleep." He places me in the bed with him and pulls the covers over the both of us. He gently stroked my hair and I begin to feel sleepy. "Good night." He whispers and my eyelids begin to feel heavy. I fall asleep without any trouble.

The Vampire Lord's POV:

Well, I didn't expect things to go this way.

I figured Anita still believed and had faith in her father.

If I pulled the strings, I could make her love me.

Even after I pulled all the strings and her guard broke, the building began to crumble.

Windows began to shatter.

An earthquake started.

She eventually calmed down but it seems that she is unaware of what is going on.

She didn't take in all the things that happened into her mental breakdown.

She didn't even notice one of her eyes had changed into a mahogany color.

Closing my door, I got stares from the servants and other workers. Vaughn walked up to me, slightly confused.

"What happened? All of the windows are shattered and the ground shook violently. Whatever that scream was, it immobilized most of us as we tried to block out the sound." Vaughn looked slightly disheveled.

"That was my fiancée. Something is in her blood that she doesn't even realize." I grin and pull a small vial from my pocket. "She broke down and everything weird that happened was because of her."

"That girl? But she's human, isn't she? No human, not even a hunter, is supposed to do that." Vaughn scoffed.

"That's why I took some of her blood." I smile wider. "Vaughn, do you know the side effects if a human should take vampire blood?"

"Yes." He paused as we began to walk towards the basement. "Three things can happen if a human takes vampire blood: instant death, transformation into a vampire, or immense power for a short amount of time with an immobilization time."

"And the more blood you take, the closer you are to death and transformation, right?" I opened the door and I see Will lying down. "Will, I need you to examine something for me?"

"Is it about the earthquake just now?" He sits up. His arm is still connected to a blood IV, but he seems to be in somewhat good shape.

"Yes. Take a look at this blood. It's from my fiancée." I hand him the vial. He stares at it for a while, and then starts the microscope. Vaughn pulls down the projector and Will stares at the projection. Putting the blood under a slide, he moves towards the image. "What can you tell from this image?"

"You see these purple circles? That is vampire blood." Will stares that the image.

"But…But it's all purple! I don't see any normal blood!" Vaughn shouts. "How is it possible?"

"She must have taken vampire blood somewhat recently. Her blood, from this diagram, is about 95% vampire and 5% human." The purple begins to fade away and only half of the image is purple and the other half is red. "Ah, I see the predicament."

"Well, out with it. What is it?" I glare at Will.

"Gentlemen, this is what we would consider to be a half breed. Upon taking the vampire blood, the purple blood dominates the blood stream for a few minutes. And usually, the blood as a way to flush out of the body. Either going bathroom, or exposure to an open wound. However, the vampire blood has been dormant in her body for years. After that hour of immobilization, if the blood finds no way out, then it infects the body from the inside out. This can include excess bleeding to get rid of human blood." Will smiled. "In other words, she's transforming into a vampire, whether she is aware of it or not."

"Can you estimate a time when the blood will finally take over the body?" I smile hugely.

"It's hard to say, but…If I had to roughly estimate…a couple of months."

"Just in time for the wedding. Isn't that right, Will?" I grin.

"Well…that is, if the blood is aggravated. I'll have to research it, but the blood seems unstable. If called into motion, it will continue to push out the normal blood. If not, then the blood won't affect her."

"Well, then…" I grinned widely.

"All I have to do is make her snap."


End file.
